The New York Times reported, citing officials, that the weapon used by Israel to target the air defense systems at the Iranian Natanz nuclear site contained technology that allowed it to evade Iranian radars. Western officials stated that the strike aimed to send a message to Iran that Israel could bypass Iranian defense systems without being detected and incapacitate them.
Two Iranian officials confirmed to the newspaper that the Israeli weapon hit an S-300 anti-aircraft system at a military base in Isfahan province. This account is supported, according to the New York Times, by satellite images it analyzed showing damage to the radar of the S-300 system at the Shakari Air Base in Isfahan.
Two Western officials mentioned that a missile was fired from a warplane that was “far from Israeli or Iranian airspace, nor did the aircraft or the missile enter Jordanian airspace,” in a calculated move to keep Amman out of any potential fallout from a retaliatory strike after assisting in intercepting Iranian missiles and drones heading to Israel a week prior.
The two Iranian officials confirmed that the Iranian military did not detect any breaches of its airspace on Friday, including drones, missiles, or aircraft. The official Iranian news agency IRNA reported that no missile attacks occurred and that the Iranian air defense system was not activated.
It remained unclear what type of weapon targeted the Iranian air defense system. Three Western officials and two Iranian officials confirmed on Friday that Israel used drones and at least one missile launched from a warplane. Earlier, Iranian officials stated that the attack on the military base was carried out by small drones that likely originated from within Iranian territory.
Western officials indicated that "Israel's use of drones launched from inside Iran and a missile that it could not detect was intended to give Iran an idea of what a large-scale attack might look like," adding that the assault was "designed to make Iran think twice before launching a direct attack on Israel in the future."
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian downplayed the significance of the attack attributed to Israel targeting central Iran on Friday, comparing it to a children's game and confirming that there would be no Iranian retaliatory response unless Iran's "interests" were targeted.
Official Iranian media reported that explosions were heard early Friday near a military base in Isfahan province after the "Iranian air defense system succeeded in intercepting several drones." U.S. media reported, citing American officials, that Israel launched a strike on Iran in response to the unprecedented Iranian attack targeting it on April 13.
